At only 25 years of age, JR owns the largest art gallery in the world. He exhibits freely in the streets of Europe, Africa and the Middle East, catching the attention of people who are not normally museum visitors. His work mixes “art and act and explorers commitment, beauty, freedom, identity and limit.” In March 2007, together with Marco, he did Face 2 Face, the biggest illegal photo exhibition ever in eight Palestinian and Israeli cities, and on both sides of the security fence. They posted huge portraits of Israelis and Palestinians Face to Face.

About the Video

In the third stage of JR’s “28 millimeter project”, Women Are Heroes (project link) he went to post-conflict zones in Africa to photograph the women who wished to share painful stories and testify of their desire to live. Their portraits have already been pasted on the walls of Sierra Leone and Liberia. In 2008-2009, JR will develop this project in India and in Asia. Call it documentary or conceptual art but even old school “masters” such as William Klein and Marc Riboud have been inspired by JR’s work. Well worth the time of the download.

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“For me it has always been about a step into the unknown and learning through photography. Most of the time I don’t prepare my stories. I just go to a place and try to have time enough to really have an experience so I have no prejudice.” So says Pep Bonet, a member of Noor Images. His project ‘Faith in Chaos’, is an ongoing photo essay about the aftermath of the war in Sierra Leone. He was the 2005 winner of the Eugene Smith Humanistic Grant. His work has been published in Newsweek, New York Times, US News and World Report, The Times (UK), MSF (Medecins Sans frontieres), Corriere della Sera, El Pais, EPS Harper’s, Ultima Hora, PDN, American Photo, Zoom and numerous other publications.

About the Photograph:

“A patient washing himself at the City of Rest (CORE) drug rehabilitation center. The Deliverance Ministry runs the center, which offers counseling and support for recovering drug addicts, alcoholics and traumatized or delinquent youths. The ministry tries to address problems of addiction, delinquency and even cases of demonic possession with rest, food and prayer. My journey to Sierra Leone in April 2002 caused a decisive turn in my professional life and thinking. I saw how faith enabled people to see perspective in even the most inhumane of circumstances, and I started my “Faith in Chaos” project. My explorations in Sierra Leone of the sources and the strength of faith continue, and with even more urgency now that the country is reaching a new milestone.”

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About...

Photographer and photo editor Geoffrey Hiller has created Verve Photo to feature photographs and interviews by the finest contemporary image makers today. Verve Photo is a reminder of the power of the still image. Verve Photo will also point you to new photo agencies, publications, and inspiring multimedia projects.